Important Terms
Attribute Points (APs): Are the basic form of measurement in the DC Heroes RPG. Everything including Time, distance, and volume is measured in Attribute Points. Since Attribute points measure everything, it is easy to transfer these points from one form of measurement to another. For instance, to find out how much a character can lift, find his AP for Strength. This is how much he can lift without strain. APs are also used to measure how effective a characters actions are. So in combat, SPs are used to find how much damage a character inflicts or sustains. In a race, APs are used to find out how fast a character runs. And so on. These amounts of damage, speed, information, or volume are related to real world units like pounds, feet and seconds. There is a base value for each type of measurements called Effect Units. These Effect Units are equal to 0 APs. In DC Heroes RPG, 0 has a measureable value. Zero APs of time, or 4 Seconds, is refered to as a Phase. This term is often used in combat. Each additional SP of measurement is worth twice as much as the AP before it. Therefore, a Character with a STR of 6 is twice as strong as one with a STR of 5. See Table called Benchmark AP Table to explain how to quickly convert APs into their real world equivalents and real world measures into APs. Since all Measurements are related, you can use them interchangabley. For instance, a Cahracter with a Strength of 6 APs can lift 6 APs of weight. A character who has 5 APs of Flight Power can fly 5 APs of Distance in a single phase (4 seconds) of time. Acting Values (AVs): The Acting Values are located in the left hand column of the Action Table. The Acting Value is most often a measuremtn of the Character's Action Attribute (Dex, Int, or Infl). Depending on which type of action is being performed, a certain Acting/Opposing Attribute is Used. Sometimes, other Attributes can replace the Normal Acting/Opposing Attributes. Powers or Skills, for Instance, usually their own ratings as the Acting Value. Example: Because Nightwing is attempting to perform an action, it is time to begin our action check. Punching somone is a physical attack, so use Nightwings Dex of 8 as the acting value. The fith row down is the 7-8 Acting Row. If Nightwing had a Mental power that he wanted to use, like Heat Vision or Hypnotism, he would use the APs of that power as the Acting Value and not his DEX. Opposing Value (OV): The Opposing Values are located in the topmost row of the Action Table. Like the Acting Value, the Opposing Value is commonly the Acting/Opposing Attribute (Dex, Int, or Infl) of the defending Character. But the Opposing Value can come from other Attributes. If the character is using a power or skill to defend himself from attack, then the APs of the Power or Skill become the Opposing Value. Example: Deadshot will try to dodge Nightwing's blow with his own Dexterity. Deadshot has a Dexterity of 8. Go across the Opposing Value row until you find the 7-8 Opposing Value Column. If Nightwing were using a Mental Attack, Deadshot would defend with his Acting Attribute for Mental Attacks, his Intellegent. If Nightwing had the power to use a Mystical Attack, Deadshot would defend with his Acting Attribute for Mystical Attacks, Influence. Sucess Number: Find where the Acting Value Row and the Opposing Value Colukn meet on the Action Table. The number at this intersection is the Success Number. This is the lowest number you can roll on the two ten-sided dice (2d10) for your Character to succeed at his action. Example: By looking at the Action Table where 7-8 Acting Value Row (Nightwings Dex) and the 7-8 Opposing Value Column (Deadshots dex) meet, you can see that you need to roll an 11 for Nightwing to hit Deadshot. Roll your 2d10 dice, if you roll your Success Number or better the action is succeeded. If you roll your Success Number, then you would go immediately to the Result Table. Column Shifts: If your roll is Greater than your Success Number, you determine the Number of Column Shifts. Place your finger on the Action Table where the Opposing Value Column intersects the Acting Row, on your Success Number. Move your finger accross the row (to the right) to the next number. If it is smaller than the die roll, count that as one column shift. movue up more columns to the right till you reach a number higher than your die roll. Count the number of columns from your Success Number Column to the last lower number than your roll. Remember the number of Column Shifts because it increases your results on the REsult Table. You roll an 19, and Place your finger on Nightwing's Success Number of 11. This is located on the intersection of the 7-8 Acting Value Row and the 7-8 Opposing value column. Move one column to the right to the 13, coundting "one". Again moving this time to the 15, countint "two", and again to the 18 counting "three". The next number is a 21... more than your roll of 19, so you end with Three Column Shifts. Effect Value (EV): First find the Effect Value Column on the left hand side of the Result Table. The Effect Value usually equals your Character's Effect Attribute. Depending on which type of attack is being maid. Physical/Strength, Mental/Will, and Mystical/Aura. Effect Value may also come from other Attributes. For instance, when a Power or Skill is being used to perform an action, the APs of the Power or Skill are used as the Effect Value. Example: Nightwing is attacking physically, so his Effect Attribute is his Strength. REspectivally, Nightwing has a Strength of 4, so his Effect Value is 4. Move your finger down the Effect Value Column to the 3-4 Row. If Nightwing had a Power like Heat Vision or Hypnotism, his Effect Value would equal the APs of his Power instead of his Strength. Resistance Value (RV): Find the REsistance Value row. This is found along the top of the Result Table. The defender's REsistance Value is usually Physical/Body, Mental/Mind, or Mystical/Spirit. The Resistance Value could also come from other Attributes. For instance, a defender's Power or Skill could be used to resist damage, and it's APs would be used instead of a Resistance Attribute. Example: Since Nightwing is using a Physical Attack, Deadshot resists with his physical REsistance Attribute: his body. Deadshot's Body is a 5. Move your finger across the resisting value row to the 5 to 6 Column. Result APs (RAPs): Find where the Effect Value Row and the Resistance Value Column meet on the Result Table. This number is the number of Result APs (RAPs). If the result is an "N" then there is No Effect. If the result is an "a", then the result is in the +1 Column, add 1AP to your result APs for every time you shift into this Column. Unless you are playing with Characters who are as tough or tougher than superman, you will not need the +5 Row. The rules sectin has this explanation. Apply the Column Shifts. Any column shifts from the Action table are applied to the Columns on the result table. Column shifts are made to the left, decreasing numbers in the REsistance Value row, but increasing the number of result APs within the table itself. The more Column Shifts you gained on the Action Table, the more the Defender's REsistance Value is lowered. This causes the number of RAPs to Increas. The defender is accumulating damage at this point. Example: Nightwing has an effect value of 4, and Deadshot has a REsistance value of 5. By following the 3-4 Effect Value Row to where it intersects with the 5-6 value column we see an N. However, Nightwing had 3 Column Shifts. This shifts Deadshots Resistance Column three to the left, from an N to an A. This means that Nightwing recieved a number of Result APs ewual to his effect value of 4. Nightwing did 4 RAPs of damage to Deadshot's Current Body Condition.